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ISLAMABAD, Oct 30 (APP):Pakistan must urgently improve its public services climate-proof to safeguard women and girls from worsening impacts of floods, droughts, and other extreme weather events, said Minister of State for Climate Change Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Kharal at the launch of a joint report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Thursday.
Under the programme “Data for Development (D4D)”, an initiative of UNFPA with SDPI as its implementing partner, the report, titled: ‘Drought and Deluge: The Silent Sufferings of Women and Girls in Climate Change,’ highlights how climate disasters disproportionately affect women’s access to reproductive health (SRH) services and increase risks of gender-based violence (GBV), said a press release.
In her video message, Dr Shazra Mansab emphasized that Pakistan’s adaptation challenge is both humanitarian and developmental. “Every disaster shock impacts women and girls first and hardest. The climate agenda cannot succeed without securing community rights and safety,” she added.
The Minister further said that her ministry is committed to mainstreaming climate, environment, population, and women issues into national frameworks and is seeking UNFPA’s support in updating SRH and family planning inclusion in future NDCs and climate action plans.
In her opening remarks, Dr Gulnara Kadyrkulova, UNFPA Deputy Representative in Pakistan, said that climate change has become “an in the generational crisis” impacting the wellbeing of entire communities.
“The floods in Punjab left pregnant women unable to reach healthcare facilities,” she said, adding that pollution has emerged as another serious threat to the health of women and children.
She referred to the 2022 Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) that underscored the vulnerabilities of women during the floods, particularly in relation to GBV and access to maternal health services. Dr Gulnara reaffirmed UNFPA’s commitment to supporting efforts that invest in climate resilience and gender development in partnership with national stakeholders.
Dr Sajid Amin Javed, SDPI Deputy Executive Director, said that the report is a vital contribution to understanding the often-overlooked suffering of women and girls amid climate change. “These findings are not an overall assessment of the grass roots crisis, but a step toward bringing the silent sufferings of women and girls to the attention of decision-makers,” he said.
He thanked UNFPA for leading one of the strongest voices on gender in climate discourse and called for integrating these insights into policy and planning frameworks. “We need to deepen the discussion on gender and disasters and ensure these issues reach decision-making tables,” he added.
Presenting the study, Dr Rafi Amir Ud Din from COMSATS University, said that climate extremes are spiking across Pakistan, resulting in rising GBV and the disruption of SRH services. The research that surveyed 2767 women covered eight climate-vulnerable districts, i.e. Dera Ghazi Khan, Umerkot, Zhob, Chaghi, Rahim Yar Khan, Charsadda, and Karak.
According to the findings, 8.2 million women were affected during the 2022 floods, with 1.6 million requiring GBV support. Around 77% of respondents faced difficulties accessing SRH and family planning services, while 71% required GBV assistance. Dr. Amir Ud Din said the study identified several critical gaps, including weak enforcement of protection protocols, disrupted health services, and inadequate psychosocial support. “Cultural stigma and inactive GBV response systems during disasters remain major challenges,” he noted.
Dr Rasheed Ahmed of UNFPA outlined an action plan built around four key outcome areas strengthening community resilience, resilient health systems, enhanced disaster preparedness, and robust data systems for climate vulnerability and adaptive capacity.
In a panel discussion, Humaira Zia Mufti, Secretary of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), said that climate change is a “threat multiplier” with national security implications. She stressed the need for a gender vulnerability index and technology-driven approaches for women’s inclusion and education, particularly in remote regions. “Women are the reservoirs of resilience in Pakistan,” she said.
Dr Shahzad Ali Khan, Vice-Chancellor of the Health Services Academy (HSA), noted that Pakistan faces multi-hazard vulnerability, with millions of unintended pregnancies and high infant mortality rates. He called for community-based disaster risk reduction and collaboration between UNFPA, HSA, and NCSW to train youth volunteers and implement report recommendations.
Dr Arif Goheer, Executive Director of GCISC, called for clarity on institutional mandates related to gender and climate. He offered GCISC’s support for data modeling and climate risk assessment.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Dr Tahir Ghaznavi, Humanitarian Resilience Coordinator, UNFP emphasized that floods and droughts have transformed childbirth into a “fatal gamble” for women in vulnerable areas. He urged that SRH and GBV be made core pillars of national data collection and emphasized the importance of integrating gender-segregated data for evidence-based policy-making.